I had Mediterranean cuisine for the first time when I moved to United States. My sister Aruna used to take me to one of her favorite restaurants in St. Louis. That is when I discovered these amazing variety of dishes. But my actual love for this began when one of my attendings, Hazem would take the fellows out for a meal at his favorite Mediterranean fast food place in Columbia. That guy knew him personally and would make these amazing wraps. I would relish those. Either they were truly great or we would be too hungry after a busy consult service in the hospital. Haha!
Another time when Simha and I were on a vacation in Miami, we came across this vegan Mediterranean fast food place called Maoz. It was like a Chipotle/ Qdoba style place where you could choose your toppings for a wrap or bowl. That is when I got the idea to recreate this at home.
I have had my fair share of failed falafel disasters. And then the whole idea of deep frying was never exciting. Baked falafels were never that tasty to be honest. So finally I got an idea from my mother in law to make it in my paniyaram pan. And since then there is no looking back. But to make this as a weeknight meal was still intimidating given all that preparation for a falafel mix. Then I found this amazing brand of falafel mix at Whole Foods. It does not have much junk in it, yet makes your life so much easier and you get these perfect falafels each time. So let me share my secrets for a perfect fancy Mediterranean meal that you could achieve on a weeknight!
Let us begin. You will need...
Veggies:
1/2 shallot chopped
1/2 zucchini chopped
1/4 green pepper chopped
1/4 red pepper chopped
1/4 yellow pepper chopped
1/2 of 2.25oz can of sliced black olives
Heat up a skillet/ pan. Add olive oil. Roast these veggies with these seasonings:
Salt
Za'atar spice
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Red chilli flakes (optional)
Or alternatively you could roast them in oven at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Salad:
1/2 shallot chopped
1 medium sized tomato chopped
cilantro chopped
dill chopped
juice from 1/2 lime
salt
pepper (optional)
You could use cucumber/ corn too!
Mix all this up in a bowl.
Tzatziki
1 cup yoghurt (traditionally greek)
salt
pepper (optional)
olive oil
1 tsp of lemon/lime juice
chopped dill
You could use grated cucumber as well (just squeeze out excess water from it).
Mix all this up in a bowl.
Falafel:
I use the falafel mix from Tarazi brand. Follow the packet instructions. I make it in my paniyaram pan.
I usually take 1 cup of mix, add 3/4 cup of water. Mix it up, wait for 10 minutes or so and cook it in slightly greased paniyaram/ aebleskiver pan over stove top. This makes 12 falafels.
Pita sandwiches:
You will also need...
pita bread (store bought)
hummus (store bought)
chilli oil (store bought)
greens/ microgreens (from my Gardyn!)
Time to assemble the sandwiches!
Cut the pita bread in half. Apply the hummus inside the pocket. Heat it up in a toaster oven.
Then assemble the sandwich with falafel, veggies, salad, tzatziki, chilli oil and top it off with some greens/microgreens to add some crunchiness!
ENJOY!
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